Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • High Sheriff Praises Memorial Gardens Face Lift

    THE High Sheriff of Oxfordshire has praised the refurbishment of Thame’s Memorial Gardens, which he officially opened today.
    The

  • Burglary Victims Continue To Ignore Advice (Ring Master Message)

    THERE have been two burglaries overnight in Thame,
    Thursday 2nd & Friday 3rd November. It is believed that entry was gained via the front doors, although there is no sign of forced entry.
    The first burglary was in Fairfax Road, where offenders stole property from the house, as well as a Blue Mercedes E 320, part registration number 600 BO.
    The second burglary was in Astley Road, where property was stolen and a Grey Rangerover Sport Estate, part registration number AZ 127.

    WARNING: Offenders are gaining entry through letterboxes and pulling down the inside door handles. Residents are reminded to lock UPVC doors at night and not to leave keys in the locks.

  • Bolton Bullfrog Comes To Thame (Contributed)

    ON stage in concert at the Players Theatre in Thame at on Sunday, November 12, is Bernard Wrigley (“The Bolton Bullfrog”).
    He is no stranger to the area, having visited the Thame/Long Crendon area many times in the past.

    Bernard is known as an actor as well as a singer and storyteller. Some will remember him from Emmerdale a few years ago, when he played Barry Clegg ? the hapless rocket builder whose wife Lisa left him for Zak Dingle.
    Over the years he has played no less than seven different characters in Coronation Street. He was also in three episodes of Dinner Ladies, where he complained about the food, danced and sang, and played the concertina. Recently he played the part of Dodgy Eric in Phoenix Nights, where he sold a mechanical bucking bronco to the club (with disastrous results) and in the second series insisted that Brian Potter hire a bouncy castle with a fifteen feet phallic extension – “Sammy The Snake”.

    Recently, BBC Radio 2 listeners could hear Bernard guesting on the Mark Radcliffe show four times. Just released is his new book, “Shorts For All Occasions”, being a collection of daft, one verse poems.

    On the 12th at the Players Theatre, he’ll be performing his unique blend of songs, stories, monologues and guitar playing, culled from almost 40 years of singing in the folk music world.

    Tickets cost

  • Scooting To School Taking Off

    THE County Council is responding to the increasing popularity of scooters among school pupils by installing appropriate parking facilities at schools across the county.
    Oxfordshire County Council say: “Scootering is a fun and healthy way to travel to school and gives pupils exercise, which has been proven to increase concentration and memory.
    “Scootering to school is also environmentally friendly, as it can cut down on unnecessary car journeys, which in turn eases congestion.

    “Eight schools in Oxfordshire have recently benefited from the installation of specially designed scooter parking. The schools are Eynsham Community Primary School, St Swithuns Primary School, Oxford, Manor School, Didcot, RAF Benson Community Primary School, Faringdon Junior School, Wheatley Primary School, North Kidlington Primary School, St John the Evangelist, Carterton.

    “By early next year, 200 new scooter parking places will have been installed in further schools across the county.

    “One of the schools to benefit, Faringdon Junior School, has had 40 scooter parking places installed.

    “Head teacher Paul Turner said: ?It?s great for the school to have a scooter park as coming to school on a scooter gets children into good habits about travelling short distances, without relying on polluting cars?.

    “Scooter parking is relatively cheap and easy to install, and is ideal for smaller schools, as it can fit into small areas.

    “The scooter parking being installed in schools across Oxfordshire has been funded by Oxfordshire County Council?s Better Ways to School Programme. For 2007, scooter parking will be part of the County Councils ?fast track? scheme, meaning it will normally be deliverable to schools with a School Travel Plan (STP) within a month.

    “An STP identifies the potential for replacing car-travel to school with healthy and safe walking, cycling and bus travel. A total of 139 Schools in Oxfordshire now have an approved STP and are able to qualify for this funding.

    “Producing an STP also entitles maintained schools to a Small Capital Grant (SCG), which can be used for on-site improvements, such as scooter & cycle parking that encourages sustainable travel to school.

    “Currently

  • Another Scalp For Chinnor Seconds

    MATCH REPORT – Chinnor 2nd, 24 Pts vs. Cambridge Uni 2nd, 17 Pts; Saturday, 28th October- Away Friendly Game.
    Scorers:
    Tries: Darren Oxley x 2, Richard Grimsdell and Jamie Hiscock.
    Conversions: 2 by Richard Grimsdell

    CHINNOR seconds added another great scalp to their list of wins when they beat Cambridge University seconds in a friendly game at Kingsey Road on Saturday.
    A friendly is a contradiction of terms when it refers to a rugby game with no quarter given, even if one of the opposition is a Chinnor Club player doing his degree at Cambridge, as was the case with Alex Thompson.
    It was always going to be a tough and fast game which is just what transpired from the first kick. However, Chinnor had a bit more of an advantage up front, which is one of the team?s strengths.
    An interception by Cambridge gave them the first points on the board after 15 minutes, but the teams were evenly matched and it was not untill the 30th minute that Chinnor broke the Cambridge defence with Darren Oxley breaking inside to score. A conversion by Richard Grimsdell gave Chinnor the lead, 7 points to 5.
    Ten minutes later Oxley made the same break to split the Cambridge defence and scored under the post, followed again by a Grimsdell conversion. This was followed just two minutes later by a great run by Jamie Hiscock who added another five points. All this was due to some good teamwork being carried out by both forwards and backs. The first half finished with Chinnor 19 points to 5 in the lead.
    The second half was a carbon copy of the first with both sides attacking and defending as if their lives depended on it. Cambridge drew first blood with another interception try from their own 22 metre line with a converted try which cut the deficit to 19 points to 12. This was followed with another try and the points were 19 to 17 in Chinnor?s favour.

    It was a very tight game that could go any way at that stage and, although Chinnor seemed to be in control at all times, the Uni defence held up well. With five minutes to go and after some great play between forwards and backs, Grimsdell scored in the corner and took the game away from Cambridge University.

    Chinnor seconds finished the game 24 points to 17.
    All 19 players played well and man of the match was awarded to Joe Iosefo for his consistent outstanding play, not only this week but every time he dons the Chinnor shirt. It can?t be long before we lose him to the first team.

    Thanks to Cambridge for travelling so far; hopefully we will be able to reciprocate at some stage for a return game.
    Walter McGuicken
    Second Team Manager

  • Recent Thame Planning Decisions

    PLANS to extend the Old Trout restaurant in Thame, and build an extension to the kitchen, have been turned down by district council planning officers.
    The proposals to alter what is a listed building, did not meet with the approval of the town council’s planning committee earlier in the month, and were the subject of an objection by a close neighbour who feared “the nuisance of disagreeable smells” from a proposed extraction unit close to windows of his own property.

    Other Thame planning decisions made under the delegated powers of planning officers, include approval of the conversion of the shop at 11-12 High Street (formerly My Favourite Things), an extension of Corner Cottage, Bell Lane, Thame and the approval of seven illuminated signs to the new Thame Ford showroom in Rycote Lane.

  • How Much Does Our MP Cost?

    FIGURES released recently show that MPs expenses have soared.
    Thame’s MP and shadow higher education minister, Boris Johnson, accumulated

  • Council’s Cattle Market Rejection ‘Absolute Traversty’

    THAME’S leading Business representative has called the town council’s rejection of a plan for a relocated cattle market, “an absolute traversty.”
    Mr Alun Rowe, Chair of Thame First (formerly the Chamber of Commerce), made his comments following the town council’s Planning Committee’s decision not to support the relocation of the cattle market and development of a new agricultural centre on the Thame Show ground. (See previous news item below)

    “I cannot imagine who, a decision such as this will benefit,” said Mr Rowe.
    “Thame will never have the chance again to create a community facility in the town centre and the agricultural community will suffer greatly because of a lack of proper facilities.
    “The cattle market is the only possible location for a community facility in the heart of Thame and would give us back the centre Thame so desperately lacks now. With it we could provide a purpose built library, rather than evicting one of Thame?s most successful businesses; we could create community halls to give the local volunteer groups the opportunity of meeting in Thame rather than going elsewhere and most of all we could have created a hub around which to reinvigorate Thame’s sense of community which appears to dwindle with each passing day as we slowly become a commuter ghost town.
    “In simple terms there is no room left in the town centre to build the much needed community facilities that will be required with the building of another 90+ houses on the Rycotewood site and the numerous small developments springing up on, what seems like a weekly basis in Thame and it?s surrounding villages. Thame forgets too easily that it is the hub for not just the 12,000 residents but also for villages such as Haddenham, Chinnor and Long Crendon.
    “The agricultural community must feel incredibly let down too as Thame has always prided its self on being part of that community and yet the elected representatives of our town have dismissed the chance for that community to grow in a time when agriculture all over the UK is in decline.
    “I am incredibly disappointed by this decision and believe the council have failed to recognise the opportunity for positive change in Thame.”

    Contact Alun Rowe: chair@thamefirst.co.uk

  • Gadget Comes Home

    POPULAR Thame student, Martin Gadd (known to his friends as Gadget), who was paralysed after a tragic fall, has returned to live at home after months in hospital.
    Over that time, local people and friends of the family have held several fund-raising events to help towards the costs of a state-of-the-art wheelchair and other associated costs of adapting to less mobility.
    The latest event, a Picnic Ball, organised by Chinnor Rugby Club, raised

  • Make Bonfire Night Safe and Fun

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council?s Fire and Rescue Service is issuing advice to families to make sure that everyone has a good time on Bonfire Night without getting hurt.
    Peter Cleary, Risk Reduction Manager at the county council said: “Having fireworks at home can be great fun as long as they are used safely. Sadly, figures show that more children than adults get hurt by fireworks and over the past five years more than 350 pre-school children, some only a year old, were treated in hospital for fireworks injuries.
    “As part of our ongoing 365 Alive safety campaign we are offering advice to families so they can enjoy themselves ?. and stay safe at the same time!”

    Where to buy fireworks
    Fireworks should always be bought from a reputable shop to make sure that they conform to British Standards ? they should have BS 7114 written on the box.

    Never buy fireworks from car boot sales, unlicensed market stalls or the back of a van.

    Sparkler safety
    Sparklers get five times hotter than cooking oil ? they are not toys and shouldn?t be given to children under the age of five.

    Setting off fireworks
    Only one person should be in charge of lighting fireworks. They should read the instructions in daylight and not drink alcohol until the display is over. It?s best to prepare in advance and in daylight. Have the following close by on the night:

    ? a torch
    ? a bucket or two of water
    ? eye protection and gloves
    ? a bucket of soft earth to put fireworks in
    ? suitable supports and launchers for Catherine
    wheels and rockets.

    Common sense rules to keep safe:
    ? never drink alcohol if you are setting off
    fireworks or in charge of the bonfire
    ? keep fireworks in a closed box
    ? follow the instructions on each firework
    ? light them at arm?s length, using a taper
    ? stand well back
    ? never put fireworks in your pocket or throw
    them
    ? never go near a firework that has been lit –
    even if it has not gone off it could still
    explode
    ? always supervise children around fireworks
    ? light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves
    ? never give sparklers to children under five
    ? keep pets indoors.

    County Councillor Ray Jelf, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “If everyone observes these simple guidelines they will be able to enjoy their family bonfires without experiencing a tragic accident on the night. Children love fireworks but it is up to their parents to keep them safe.”

    Government legislation states that:
    ? it is an offence for the under 18s to possess
    fireworks in a public place
    ? it is also an offence for anyone to let
    fireworks off after 11pm (except on 5
    November when they can be set off until
    midnight and New Years Eve, Chinese New Year
    and Diwali when they can be set off until
    1am)
    ? it is also an offence to throw or set off
    fireworks in a street or public place.